Detective Sergeant

Ingham County Sheriff Department

"Bad weather or not," Harrison said, "people have a responsibility to slow down."

The initial call came in at 2:49 p.m. Wednesday as a two- or three-car crash on I-96 east of Lansing.As paramedic Tim O'Neill drove through dense fog to the scene, he realized the accident was far worse than reported.

Police in Lansing and East Lansing are also wearing black bands on their badges in honor of the fallen officers.

Harrison said Tuesday's news sank his heart.

"I was giving a training seminar in Jackson, when I heard terrorists had bombed the World Trade Center," Harrison said."We had to listen to the news over the radio.We had to visualize what happened, it made my heart stop and an feeling of emptiness came over me."

Harrison said he could only think about the terrible loss.

"My mind started racing, thinking, ‘how are the families of these victims going to deal with their loss?'" Harrison said.

He said he was trying to understand the circumstances firefighters and officers faced Tuesday at "ground zero" of the terrorist attacks.

Lansing police Lt.

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Harrison said the firefighters and law officers who died Tuesday in the attacks are the "true heroes of the United States because they lost their lives trying to save people."